Had a good time on my first Pittsburgh visit (York: apartments, insurance)

[citylove101]

I posted this in another thread for a guy considering a possible visit to Pittsburgh. But I'm reposting it here because I was curious what the natives might think of my experiince:


"...I just spent a few days in Pittsburgh for the first time and enjoyed it greatly — much to my surprise! Didn’t see the residential Pittsburgh, but mostly the Oakland and downtown neighborhood, and a quick drive through of the Hill district. Made time to eat at a restaurant in The Strip, visit the August Wilson center downtown, the Carnegie museum, and even found the Bicycle Museum, which I absolutely loved. I am a big time cyclist. Missed a chance to see a Pirates game though. Wanted to check out that stadium. I did use a few Ubers, but no mass transit.

And yes, so many buildings with Carnegie, Mellon, or Heinz names. The city built on steel and ketchup. Many were beautiful masonry old-school buildings too. Lots of lovely architecture downtown. As a city lover I liked that, even though parts of downtown are definitely grungy with shuttered stores and homeless people. But that’s most cities these days.

I was a bit uneasy because the city is very white, and I anticipated that might be problematic for a Black visitor. But no problems, never got “the look”, and no problems from the cops like I’ve had in some other cities. Maybe I had the “tourist” look — or maybe I’m just old enough to not seem threatening! At any rate, everyone I met was friendly and helpful.

... for a few days, Pittsburgh is more than worth a visit if you’ve never been. I wouldn’t at all mind visiting again."

[Pitt Chick]

Glad you had a good time. It really is a great city, with so much to do and see.

[gg]

Originally Posted by citylove101

I posted this in another thread for a guy considering a possible visit to Pittsburgh. But I'm reposting it here because I was curious what the natives might think of my experiince:


"...I just spent a few days in Pittsburgh for the first time and enjoyed it greatly — much to my surprise! Didn’t see the residential Pittsburgh, but mostly the Oakland and downtown neighborhood, and a quick drive through of the Hill district. Made time to eat at a restaurant in The Strip, visit the August Wilson center downtown, the Carnegie museum, and even found the Bicycle Museum, which I absolutely loved. I am a big time cyclist. Missed a chance to see a Pirates game though. Wanted to check out that stadium. I did use a few Ubers, but no mass transit.

And yes, so many buildings with Carnegie, Mellon, or Heinz names. The city built on steel and ketchup. Many were beautiful masonry old-school buildings too. Lots of lovely architecture downtown. As a city lover I liked that, even though parts of downtown are definitely grungy with shuttered stores and homeless people. But that’s most cities these days.

I was a bit uneasy because the city is very white, and I anticipated that might be problematic for a Black visitor. But no problems, never got “the look”, and no problems from the cops like I’ve had in some other cities. Maybe I had the “tourist” look — or maybe I’m just old enough to not seem threatening! At any rate, everyone I met was friendly and helpful.

... for a few days, Pittsburgh is more than worth a visit if you’ve never been. I wouldn’t at all mind visiting again."

If you come back again, I recommend cycling around Pittsburgh. It is actually a lot of fun and thanks to our last mayor, we have some real bike infrastructure. The hills will be fun for you as you aren't used to them in NYC. The only hills there are going up on bridges or an overpass. We have real hills here and they provide a lot of fun for cyclists.

Glad you had a good time. Come on back.

[YorktownGal]

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like Pittsburgh more than my native NYC. Shocking, I know.

[Knepper3]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like Pittsburgh more than my native NYC. Shocking, I know.

Outside pizza I assume! This Jersey kid misses real pizza but we are getting some better places.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like Pittsburgh more than my native NYC. Shocking, I know.

haha...no, not shocking. I would say that NYC is so huge that experiences can certainly differ for better or worse between boroughs, or even within populous Brooklyn, for example.

NYC is cool, though. I still had never been to the Bronx.

[YorktownGal]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

haha...no, not shocking. I would say that NYC is so huge that experiences can certainly differ for better or worse between boroughs, or even within populous Brooklyn, for example.

NYC is cool, though. I still had never been to the Bronx.

The Bronx is a mixed bag.

Yankee stadium is located in The Bronx. In 1980's there was a TV presentation on a game with smoke from The Bronx burning in the background. Apartments were burnt down by the landlords because they could get more in insurance money than from rent. When I took the bus up to Fordham's Bronx location (90's), it looked like I was passing bombed out Germany in the days after WWII.

On the other side of The Bronx:

Manhattan College - The Georgian Colonial building, constructed of red Virginia brick and stone trim and designed by Architect James W. O’Connor, conformed to the architecture of the College’s main buildings. By the spring of 1928, the iconic Quadrangle was enclosed with the completion of the Chapel. Its exalted cupola, discernable for miles around, appeared as the crowning glory of the new campus.

New York Botanical Garden - . Because of its picturesque terrain, freshwater Bronx River, rock-cut gorge, and 50 acres of old-growth forest, the Garden was sited on the northern half of Bronx Park. Today, the 250-acre Garden—the largest in any city in the United States—is a National Historic Landmark. In addition to the natural attributes that attracted the Brittons, NYBG encompasses 50 specialty gardens and collections comprising more than one million plants, the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the nation’s preeminent Victorian-style glasshouse and 30,000 distinguished trees, many more than 200 years old.

Lehman College - Lehman has a 37-acre (15 hectare) campus with a combination of Collegiate Gothic and modern architecture, located near the Jerome Park Reservoir at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West (250 West 200th Street). The school's architects were Kerr Rainsford, John A. Thompson, and Gerald A. Holmes; they had earlier designed the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

It's like a bipolar borough - some of the prettiest and some of the worse areas.

Some parts of Pittsburgh are rundown from old age. I don't remember massive fires or destruction in Pittsburgh like The Bronx.

[gg]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

st and some of the worse areas.

Some parts of Pittsburgh are rundown from old age. I don't remember massive fires or destruction in Pittsburgh like The Bronx.

The only fires were in the Hill District, Northside and Homewood. Mostly just looting and vandalizing due to the MLK assassination, so you are correct. Pittsburgh didn't have anything like that. The 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood was pretty unbelievable.

Interesting about the Bronx. I have been all over NYC, but for some reason never go to the Bronx. I used to know some people there, but they moved south. They were very tough people. That I do know.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

The Bronx is a mixed bag.

Yankee stadium is located in The Bronx. In 1980's there was a TV presentation on a game with smoke from The Bronx burning in the background...

On the other side of The Bronx:

Manhattan College -

New York Botanical Garden -

Lehman College -


It's like a bipolar borough - some of the prettiest and some of the worse areas.

interesting stuff! i love the description - "a bipolar borough".

at least it has what it does. my understanding is that there has been improvement over time.

friends i used to know spoke highly of their 'little italy'. the place is packed on weekends, akin to Strip District shoppers, I suppose.

[YorktownGal]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

friends i used to know spoke highly of their 'little italy'. the place is packed on weekends, akin to Strip District shoppers, I suppose.

Well, what is left of Little Italy. The Chinese have moved into the area from an ever-expanding of Chinatown.

Little Italy has a few key blocks left for the tourist crowd. Whereas the Strip District is significantly larger with Pittsburgh residents actually shopping for Italian specialities to make/eat at home. It feel more original to its location.